This past weekend I had a chance to premiere “DARK GIRLS : The Story of Color , Gender and Race ” at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre (November 19, 2011).

Georgia actor/director/producer Bill Duke and writer/producer/director D. Channsin Berry premiered the highly anticipated documentary to an auditorium filled with thousands of guests, which included Jasmine Guy, Jaquitta Williams (CBS-Atlanta), Kalenna (Diddy/Dirty Money), famed poet Hank Stewart, as well as other notables from the film community.

The dark skin/light skin debate continues in the Black community.

We, as Black Americans continue to “SHADE” each other on the daily on the issue of color…. from Tameka Foster Glover Raymond’s “She’s Pretty For A Dark Skin Girl” essay to Beyonce’s “Blackface” controversy to? Fantasia catching way more flack than a much lighter skinned singer (*cough* Alicia Keys) for the same offense of dating a married man.

[READ: Alicia Keys vs. Fantasia Barrino: The Light Skin/Dark Skin Homewrecker Debate]

These types of discussions bring us closer to understanding the blatant discrepancies that exist in our community between how we treat each other based on intra-racial prejudices. Once we can fully understand WHY it exists, perhaps it will be easier to collectively change our ways of thinking.

Preview a few minutes of? “Dark Girls” below + share your thoughts on the light skin/dark skin debate… Continue Reading…